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Stranded Migrants to Dock Soon in Spain; U.S. Immigration Separate Families at Border; Moscow Taxi Plows through Crowd; Inside Islamic Jihad Tunnels in Gaza; World Cup 2018; 17 Killed in Venezuela Nightclub Stampede; President Trump Taking Heat for Controversial Salute. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 17, 2018 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Breaking news right now, these live images of the Aquarius vessel that is arriving at the port city of Valencia, Spain, that ship carrying hundreds of migrants. They have been stranded at sea for more than a week but they are about to return. We'll follow this story for you.

New fallout from the U.S., taking children from their parents at the border with Mexico. We're on top of that story, too.

And what could have been Lionel Messi's moment at the World Cup, spoiled. We'll have the highlights from Saturday's matches and a look ahead at Sunday's game.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: Around the world, good day to you.

We start with the breaking news we are following in Spain. Take a look here at these live images there in Valencia, Spain. This as the rescue ship Aquarius is in the process of docking in that port city. On board the ship, hundreds of migrants who were saved from drowning in the Mediterranean over a week ago.

The migrants have been granted temporary entrance into Spain after they were turned away from Italy last weekend, Italy and Malta.

What we are seeing there, the view just a short time ago, on board the Aquarius, as it approached the Spanish coastline.

It is a far cry from the life-and-death situation that many of the people on board were in before they were rescued from the dire circumstances that they endured since then. Following this story, our Vera Catano is live near the ship at the port city Valencia.

Vera, I'm not sure if you can see the ship. I'm not sure of your position. I know you are being kept in the media area at the moment.

From your vantage point, what are you seeing?

What are you hearing from officials there?

VERA CATANO, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, George, you can see behind me the Aquarius, the ship just docked here in the port of Valencia. We had a delay of two hours and we can also that now the disembarkation of the first boat has already finished.

Now there will be the same process for the migrants going on board the Aquarius. Let's remember that the Aquarius was the boat that rescued so many migrants that came from other boats more than a week ago. But there were too many people in the same boat.

That's why Italy finally offered these two older boats, two ships from the marine from the Italian army, to bring all the migrants in a more safe way. Now we have this Aquarius here. So there is just one boat left.

One of the questions is, what will happen to these migrants, if they will be able stay here in Spain?

We were talking previously with a spokesperson from a crew, one of the NGOs which is helping the authorities with the legal part of the situation. Let's hear what she was telling us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Spanish authorities will provide everyone, migrants and refugees, with a document that is valid for 45 days. They will also inform them about the possibility of applying for asylum. And those who would like to apply for asylum will do that in the final destination points.

UNHCR is present at the registration point, supporting authorities precisely to identify vulnerable cases, to see who could be a victim of trafficking, smuggling, victims of torture and particularly those in need of international protection, that should be channeled through the asylum procedures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CATANO: The Spanish government has previously said that they will grant the status of refugees for all the migrants but it's also important --

(AUDIO GAP)

CATANO: -- they have to identify case per case --

HOWELL: We just lost Vera Catano. We will try to reconnect with her in a moment. Again, what you are seeing, the live images in Valencia, Spain, the vessel Aquarius, bringing in hundreds of migrants who been stranded in the Mediterranean, migrants who, as Vera just pointed out through her interview, will have temporary ability to stay in Spain as some seek asylum.

Let's take a look to see what's happening on board that ship, if people are starting to get off. That's what we were expecting at the top of the show.

You will remember, we showed you a moment, where people were excited, people were just happy to see the coastline --

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HOWELL: -- of Spain. Let's talk about the context here. Keep in mind the migrants on board this vessel were denied entrance into Italy, into Malta. They are being allowed into Spain. That explains the political situation across Europe.

You see nations like Italy take a far right approach with government, an approach that is anti-immigrant. And what we are seeing here in Spain, Spain saying it is following the E.U. norms, allowing these migrants in.

I believe we re-connected with Vera.

And we have not re-connected with Vera.

We will try to reconnect with her and get more context as she is near that ship, speaking with the authorities there, to get information about what's happening. But, again, these live images you're seeing in Valencia, Spain, you are seeing migrants soon to step off that ship and we will continue to follow it.

A short time ago, I spoke with the head of emergencies for Doctors without Borders, Medecins sans Frontieres. She explained what would happen next for the migrants.

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KARLINE KLEIJER, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: we have the people with chemical burns and we had people who were very much affected by hypothermia and the bunch who were almost drowned. We had to bring some people to life after that horrible rescue on Saturday night.

So these are the most vulnerable people. They're OK medically; many of them do need medical care in hospitals in Spain. But what's worse is that these people could have been saved in an harbor in Italy at this moment or in Malta or in France. Instead of that, they had to go for a sea (INAUDIBLE). Many of them (INAUDIBLE) the journey.

From our side, (INAUDIBLE) we think this was completely unnecessary.

HOWELL: Has your group found it more difficult to carry out the work that you're doing in these rescues?

KLEIJER: Well, by forcing us to go to Spain, it means for, at least another 10 days, probably longer, there's not sufficient search and rescue capacity at sea. And just to emphasize, we have more than 20 nationalities on the ship, we have people from Afghanistan, people from Bangladesh, people from Algeria.

It's a wide variety of people. This is not just migrants from Africa. There are actually many people who've left (INAUDIBLE) and are looking for asylum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Again, that was Karline Kleijer. The live images that you're seeing of the Aquarius, we're waiting for the people to step off of the ship. We'll continue to follow the story there live in Spain.

Back here in the United States, the immigration debate is reaching new heights as outrage grows over what happens at the U.S. border with Mexico. We're seeing the impact of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy. That policy aiming to charge every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes.

The policy has resulted in at least 2,000 children being separated from their parents. Following the story in South Texas near the U.S. border with Mexico, our Ed Lavandera picks it up from here.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While the Trump administration remains unapologetic in its support in the way it's rolled out the so- called zero tolerance policy for undocumented immigrants crossing into the U.S. southern border, there is a growing chorus of frustration and anger and protest that will start to be visible here on Sunday in South Texas.

There's a congressional delegation that will be touring several immigration facilities throughout the region, throughout the day. Most of the members of that delegation very much opposed to this zero tolerance policy.

There's a vigil protest also scheduled to occur here on Sunday in McAllen. And there's another congressman who is leading a marching protest over the newly opened temporary facility for undocumented immigrant children. That was just opened up in far West Texas.

So a lot of this starting to pick up as the stories that have emerged from these -- from the zero tolerance policy and people are watching this play out, really starting to pick up steam.

But as I mentioned off the top, the Trump administration, unapologetic; they continue to say that this policy is designed to deter undocumented immigrants from continuing to pour into the U.S. southern border.

However, when you report here on the ground and you talk to immigrants, who have just crossed the border, news of this policy isn't necessarily making it into every corner of these countries in Central America and Mexico, where most of these undocumented immigrants are coming from.

And when you do talk to them and they do know about the policy, they say it is a risk that they're very much willing to take, that anything is better than the homes and the hometowns that they're coming from.

So that's the latest here in South Texas, as the frustration and anger and the focus on this issue really continues to build up -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, McAllen, Texas.

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HOWELL: Ed, thank you.

On Tuesday, President Trump will discuss immigration with Republican lawmakers.

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HOWELL: It's hoped that the meeting would clarify what he would be willing to sign into law. Two bills have been basically on the table for a possible deal, legal status for undocumented migrants who came to the U.S. as children and funding for the southern border wall.

That comes as he seems to be using the heartwrenching images, the scenes of children being taken from their parents, as a political negotiating tool.

In a tweet, he falsely stated this, "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the border by working with Republicans on new legislation for a change."

Again, Democrats are not the reason behind these family separations.

A number of congressmen are visiting facilities where the separated children have been taken. One of those is Texas Republican Will Hurd. Even though he's in the same party as the president, he tells CNN that the policy imposed by the Trump administration is wrong and that it should be changed.

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REP. WILL HURD (R), TEXAS: We should not be using kids as a deterrent policy. This is something I think is actually unacceptable and it's something that as Americans we shouldn't be doing.

This really isn't a Republican or a Democratic issue, this is an issue about how should you treat children.

This is clearly something that the administration can change. They don't need legislation to change it. They don't need Democrats in order to change it. This is a Department of Justice policy and this is something that's being enacted by HHS.

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HOWELL: Will Hurd there.

It's not just people crossing the border illegally who are being impacted by the Trump administration's change in immigration policy. This is Jose Luis Garcia. His family says that he came to the U.S. from Mexico 50 years ago and is a legal resident.

But now at 62 years ago he sits in a detention center. He was arrested outside his California home last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials because, nearly 18 years ago, he was convicted of a misdemeanor for a domestic violence incident. He could now face deportation.

Earlier my colleague Ivan Watson spoke with Garcia's daughter, Natalie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE GARCIA, JOSE'S DAUGHTER: They only specified this one conviction to me. They only specified this one conviction, this misdemeanor to the congressman, Tony Cardenas, to Senator Kamala Harris. They only specified this one misdemeanor.

So and it doesn't matter, because they're trying to portray something else to the media. And what they're really saying is false. And they should not even be separating families. They should not be driving people from their homes and kidnapping them.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If your father is deported, presumably he would go to Mexico.

Has he lived there?

Does he know anything about living in Mexico today?

GARCIA: This is his country. This is my father's country. He's been here almost his whole life. We were all born here, we all live here. He's been a model citizen. He has three jobs, like, he's paid his taxes, his home -- he came here for the American dream. And now it's a nightmare.

WATSON: Natalie, this is a terribly difficult time for you and your family.

What does what you have experienced in the last week, what does it tell you about immigration policy in the U.S. today?

GARCIA: There has to be some change. There has to be laws. There has to be reform. There has -- you cannot separate people. You cannot just come to people's homes with no warrant, with no where -- no identification. My father carried his green card in his wallet, his driver's license. They took that from him.

They took it. They said it was government property. They didn't even ask him for an identification. They just took him into a car and didn't even tell us where he was going.

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GARCIA: -- tomorrow, it's Father's Day tomorrow and I'm not going to even have my father.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Natalie Garcia, speaking with my colleague, Ivan Watson, about her father and her feelings about this Father's Day, which is being recognized here in the United States.

Let's get some analysis now on this with Bonnie Greer. Bonnie is an author, a playwright and columnist for "The New European," live for us in our London bureau.

A pleasure to have you with us.

BONNIE GREER, "THE NEW EUROPEAN": Good morning, George, thank you.

HOWELL: Good morning to you. Immigration is the topic that we're going to cover throughout. We've talked about it in Europe. We've talked about it here playing out in the United States.

Let's start with what we're seeing at the U.S. border with Mexico. We've seen the U.S. president falsely blame Democrats for what's happening. But through responsible reporting, from this agency and many others, the pushback is clear. What he's saying is not true.

In fact, it is the president who's --

[05:15:00]

HOWELL: -- behind this push to enforce the law in a stricter fashion. And he can change course at his choosing.

But the question that I have for you, as the world is watching this, what is the feeling about what's happening here in the United States?

GREER: Well, you know, as an American born citizen of this country and also of my native land, well, you know, there aren't really any words. It's barbaric. It goes against every norm, every custom of the United States of America.

And you have to ask -- and someone sitting here, looking at it from London, we have a supine majority in Congress at the moment, which is not exercising its constitutional responsibility of checks and balances.

The executive, this president, is running amok. So that's the big point. The other point is that all of us as Americans are born to understand that our country is a land of immigrants. Most Americans are the product of immigration. So it's absurd on its face to actually make a policy that paints immigrants as bad.

And I want to say something else. I've lived here half of my life and I came here because I wanted to. I didn't flee persecution, domestic violence, war. So I am an immigrant. The people who are coming over the Mexican border and are entering Spain are asylum seekers. They are not immigrants. Asylum is an ancient right, recognized from every country from time

immemorial. It is also embedded in law. And each country has an obligation to honor asylum and these people are seeking asylum, as they are at the southern border.

HOWELL: Let's also talk about what's happening across Europe if we can. And we have some live images that we want to show our viewers again. It's breaking news we're following this hour on CNN. The images there in the port city of Valencia, Spain, where we're seeing the vessel Aquarius docking there.

And we're expecting very soon migrants, who have been stranded at sea, the Mediterranean migrants, to soon step onto solid ground there.

The question I have for you, in Europe, there are two ways of looking at the issue of migration, immigration. The simple fact that some nations are taking a more far right approach, an anti-immigrant approach. Other nations are still welcoming to migrants as they try to seek better lives for themselves.

Do you see the situation changing for the worse?

Or for the better from your perspective about immigration and migration?

GREER: Well, we have an immigration crisis here in Britain. It is an existential crisis. It has to do with people's notions of displacement. It has to do with people's fears about that.

But we have to separate out those existential crises, which is psychological, frankly, and the notion of the law. And the law says that asylum is legal, that each nation has to honor asylum. And within that, the nations themselves decide what immigration is and so forth.

But to turn away a boat full of people, who are obviously fleeing war zones and zones of deprivation, goes against the United Nations and laws within the country. And if we mix up the terms, George, and this is my point, if we mix up the terms immigration, migration, asylum, we don't get the true picture.

We're talking about asylum. And asylum is legal. And every country is obligated to honor asylum.

HOWELL: Bonnie, you touched on this but I think it's important to point out, the image we're seeing here, this is the end result, right?

We're seeing migrants who were rescued at sea and are now getting safe harbor in Valencia, Spain.

What we've been seeing on the U.S.-Mexico border, we're seeing people who have traveled great distances to arrive at the border, people who are seeking better lives, encountering this new situation that is being pushed by the Trump administration.

But to your point let's go back to the root of this. Where are these people running from?

What are they escaping?

GREER: Well, they're escaping war. They're escaping violence and this is in the papers. We know this. This is not sort of mysterious. We know that they're escaping war zones. We know the things that are going on there.

So these are people seeking asylum from war, from domestic abuse and all sorts of things. Each of them have a story to tell. They're not strolling about, saying, oh, I want to go to Italy now, let me try out Spain. They're fleeing.

So if we decide as humans to sort of throw that out the window, we've actually denigrated ourselves. It's down --

[05:20:00]

GREER: -- to our legislators. And the fourth estate of journalism is doing a wonderful job of actually keeping people focused on what's actually happening here and taking the word "immigrants" out of the equation.

These are not immigrants, these are asylum seekers. The image that should be in our minds is of people fleeing terror. People don't do this kind of thing, George, on a whim. This isn't a holiday. This isn't, you know, let's try somewhere else.

These people are running away. And if we lose our humanity, we lose our idea of the law and understanding of the law in relation to this, we've taken our place to a barbaric place. And we need to be very, very aware of that.

HOWELL: We've seen so many images of little children washed up at shore.

GREER: Yes.

Their mothers and fathers unable to save them. I think it's certainly important to remind people of the context of what's playing out here.

Bonnie Greer, we appreciate your time and perspective. We'll stay in touch with you, there live for us in London.

GREER: Thank you, George.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, a mother, an documented immigrant, dreads she'll be ripped from her family and sent back to her home country where she fears that she could be killed. Her story ahead.

Plus CNN goes inside Islamic Jihad's tunnels in Gaza for a look at one of the militant group's important assets. It is a CNN exclusive. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to NEWSROOM.

We do want to warn you about this next story. Some of the images, the video you will see, is graphic. Russian officials are trying to find out why a taxi plowed through a crowd of people near Moscow's Red Square on Saturday. The incident injured seven people and comes as Russia hosts the World Cup.

This is amateur video shown on state media. It appears to show the crash as it happens. A driver veers wildly onto the curb and then slams into pedestrians. The driver then runs across the street. Officials say he was detained. They say the situation is now under control.

ISIS says that it carried out a deadly suicide bombing in Eastern Afghanistan. The terror group says it was targeting Taliban and government forces there. They were gathered to celebrate Eid during an unprecedented cease-fire. The attack there killed at least 25 people, including civilians, and wounded dozens more.

The violence came amid scenes of celebration across the country, with Afghan and Taliban forces joining hands, hugging --

[05:25:00]

HOWELL: and joyfully celebrating the end of Ramadan fast.

Now to Gaza. CNN has obtained rare and exclusive access inside Islamic Jihad military tunnels. The fighters say that they use them as shields to defend the Palestinian people. Israel sees it differently. Ian Lee has this exclusive report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tunnel opening, somewhere in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad militants guide us through. It's hot, humid, narrow and low-hanging. It feels claustrophobic.

LEE: As you can see, many of these tunnels are reinforced with concrete to protect them from caving in but also from potential airstrikes.

LEE (voice-over): Israel has a different name for them: terror tunnels.

ABU ABDULLAH, ISLAMIC JIHAD (through translator): We use them a shield against heavy missiles fired by F-35 and S-16 aircraft, as well as helicopters so that our fighters can move and play their role, defending the Palestinian people.

LEE (voice-over): They've proven effective for smuggling arms and launching attacks into Israel. Abu Abdullah gives the fighters a pep talk, telling them not to be afraid, God is with them.

Then a recital from the Quran. It's the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Today's movements are tightly controlled; access for journalists is rare. They blindfold us and we prepare to be driven on to the next location.

Islamic Jihad is one part of the complex, faction-based society that is Gaza. It is smaller than Hamas, the militant group that runs the Strip. But late last month, Islamic Jihad triggered the biggest exchange of fire over Gaza for four years, Israel bombing 60 targets in response to about 100 rockets and mortars, fired from launch sites like this one.

LEE: He's telling us this weapons system here has the range of about four to six kilometers. It was recently used against Israel.

LEE (voice-over): Abu Abdullah says the attack was revenge for the deaths of scores of Palestinian protesters killed by Israeli soldiers on the Gaza-Israel border.

ABDULLAH (through translator): The world hears the conflict only through Netanyahu's voice. We try and make it hear us, through the sound of these simple missiles, to say that we are here, we have land, we are human beings, we want to live in dignity.

LEE (voice-over): But one projectile hit a kindergarten in Israel. No one was hurt but only because no one was around.

I ask Abu Abdullah why they target Israeli civilians.

ABDULLAH (through translator): The world needs to know that the resistance never plans to target children.

LEE (voice-over): He admits to me mistakes are made and yet, time and time again, they fire rockets indiscriminately.

The U.S., Israel and European Union designate Islamic Jihad, just like Hamas, a terrorist organization. The group has few friends abroad. But it's not totally isolated.

ABDULLAH (through translator): Israel is proud of its support from the United States. And we are proud of Iran's support of the Palestinian resistance on the moral and logistical level. There is nothing wrong with it. And it is not a secret.

LEE (voice-over): Gaza's tragedy can be described in a host of different ways. Having militant groups in charge, committed to Israel's destruction, is just one of many. But for as long as Israel and Egypt maintain an iron grip from outside and the rest of the world wrings its hands, it's hard to see how anything will change -- Ian Lee, CNN, Gaza.

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HOWELL: Live around the world this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.

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HOWELL: Football fans love to fight about who's better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo had an epic start to his World Cup, scoring three goals, but Messi not so much. The Argentine star missed a crucial penalty against Iceland Saturday, leading to a 1-1 draw. That's a setback for Argentina but a strong showing for Iceland in their World Cup debut.

In other Saturday action, Croatia off to a good start with a 2-0 win against Nigeria. One of those points came after an embarrassing home goal by Nigeria. Also history is being made in France's 2-1 win over Australia.

The video assistant referee was used for the first time in a World Cup match. Saturday also saw Denmark win 1-0 against Peru. For highlights and a look at Saturday's games in Russia, let's bring in Alex Thomas, live in Moscow.

Alex, we saw Cristiano Ronaldo score a hat trick in his first World Cup match. His rival, Lionel Messi, did not fare quite as well.

[05:35:00]

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George, there's little doubt that when Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi hang up their boots, they will go down as two of the sport's all-time greatest players, many already saying Messi is that because of the beautiful way in which he plays.

But the little Argentinian, who's the superstar for Barcelona, his club side that he plays for, have a bit of a problem and that is his legacy when it comes to major international football championships.

He's won just about every club owner going with Barca but he hasn't yet won a World Cup or even a Copa America. So he suffers by comparison with another famous Argentinian player of the years gone past, Maradona, who was always compared with Pele in the argument as to who is the greatest.

As for Messi, his rival of the current era is Cristiano Ronaldo, with that amazing hat trick to help Portugal draw with Spain on Friday night, just adds further to his legacy.

So Argentine are unhappy with a draw against Iceland, making their World Cup debut the smallest nation in terms of population every to play in the World Cup finals. But elsewhere, wins for France, for Croatia and for Denmark on Saturday -- George. HOWELL: We, of course, want to see, what's the big match to see today?

What do you think, is it Brazil?

Is it Germany?

THOMAS: Yes, three more games today. And it's no doubt that Brazil and the Germany games catch the eye. It all kicks off with Serbia against Costa Rica. With all due respect to those two nations, I'm not sure that's going to get the juices of the football neutrals flowing.

But Brazil against Switzerland, which is the later match in group E definitely was. That's being held at the Rostov in Rostov-On-Don, one of the more southerly of the 12 venues at this World Cup.

Brazil, the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with five World Cup titles have a point to prove after losing so spectacularly in the semi-finals four years ago on home soil, crashed seven goals to one by Germany, the eventual champions. Brazil then going on to lose the third place playoff.

So trying to avoid losing three World Cup games in a row for the first time in their history against a tricky Switzerland side that always punch above their weight. In between the two group E games, the first match in group F is Germany starting the defense of their title against Mexico.

We've seen plenty of Mexican fans here already just outside of Red Square. I saw a lovely scene on Saturday, a little Russian boy, fascinated by the Mexicans. And they gestured him over. And one of their children put his arm around this little Russian boy and they both put on big sombrero hat.

The Russian mom took a photo of her son. They both left with beaming smiles. That's kind of what this tournament is all about.

HOWELL: The world could use a little more of that. Alex Thomas, thank you so much. We'll stay in touch with you as you continue to watch the action there, live in Moscow.

Pro golfers are complaining this year's U.S. Open is out of control after three rounds, not a single player is at par. Strong winds and slick greens on Saturday made conditions miserable.

Golfers stood and watched helplessly, as balls kept rolling and rolling and rolling. Phil Mickelson even swatted back a putt that was still moving, taking a two-stroke penalty rather than risk an even worse result. World number 1 Dustin Johnson blew his four-stroke lead from Friday to a six bogie and a double bogie.

Still he is in a four-way tie for the lead going into Sunday's final three over par.

The weather isn't the only issue on Earth. It's also causing havoc on a distant planet.

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HOWELL: Ahead and after the break, want to tell you the story about a mother who fears that she will be murdered if she is sent back to Honduras from the United States. Her story ahead.

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HOWELL: Welcome back.

Turning now to the U.S. immigration debate that we talked about earlier, undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States increasingly fear they will be deported, taken from their families and sent back to countries that they tried to escape.

Our Nick Valencia talked with one undocumented immigrant, who also is the mother of three young children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Spanish).

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you go back to Honduras they'll kill you?

VALENCIA (voice-over): In many ways, Joanna feels like she's already dead. An undocumented from Honduras, she's too scared to show her face or use her real name. She says MS-13 gang members murdered her brother and two relatives back home. Which is why, in 2011, she fled. If sent back, she says, she will most certainly die.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Spanish).

VALENCIA (on camera): You'd rather they kill you here than you die there?

(CROSSTALK)

VALENCIA (voice-over): For the last seven years, Joanna and her American-born children have lived in the shadows of America. She thought fleeing MS-13 gang violence and being a victim of sexual assault would help her qualify for asylum. She applied in 2011, but admits, like so many others, she was too scared to show up to her court date.

Now with a new edict from the Trump administration, her greatest fear is what will happen to her children when or if she's deported. She has three children, all U.S. citizens, under the age of 7.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): What will happen to my kids?

Will I be able to take them?

If I go alone, what will happen to my children who are here practically alone?

VALENCIA: On Monday, she's in court for driving without insurance and a license. She could be detained by immigration officers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): With the orders that the president gave to get out all of immigrants, why doesn't he take the time to know how someone's life is?

Why on the border are they treating us like animals?

That's not being human. To not feel the pain of someone else.

VALENCIA: Joanna says, under President Obama, she was aware that deportations were at an all-time high but still had hope with the prospect of asylum. Not anymore. Now the only thing she can think of is how best to shield her children from the strong chances of her being sent back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: The delicate situations that many of these families are facing. Our Nick Valencia with that report. Thank you, Nick.

Now to Venezuela and a heartwrenching scene that played out there, this as people mourn a deadly stampede at a nightclub in Caracas. Some 500 students were packed into that club for a pregraduation party.

That's when a fight repeatedly broke out and one of the partygoers detonated a tear gas canister. That triggered panic and a stampede as many people tried to escape. When it was all over at least 17 people were killed.

And outside the club, the sidewalk still littered with shoes, with socks and reminders of the panic that ensued. It is being reported that the person who set off that canister was a minor.

Following the situation in Yemen, aid workers say that it's too dangerous for them to operate in Hodeida, a strategic port on the Red Sea. That's because a Saudi-led offensive is trying to take control of the city from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. And the violence is getting close to civilian areas there.

On Saturday, Houthi fighters clashed with Saudi coalition troops near the airport. Aid groups believe nearly a quarter million people there are at risk from fighting and from lack of clean water, from lack of food and medical care. In Northern Iraq, U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie is asking the world not to turn its back on the people of Mosul. The actress visited Iraq's second largest city on Saturday in her official role as a representative of the U.N. Refugee Agency. She said many residents still live in ruins there without medical care or running water, one year after ISIS was driven out.

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ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTOR AND ACTIVIST: This is -- this is the worst devastation I've seen in all my years of UNHCR. These people have lost everything and the trauma and the loss that they've suffered is unparalleled.

They're here on their own with very little support, next to nothing, and they're rebuilding themselves with their bare hands. They're moving the rubble with their bare hands. And there are bodies in this rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Angelina Jolie there in Mosul. The nine-month battle to retake that city left an estimated 10,000 people dead.

We'll be right back after the break.

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HOWELL: A live look there at Moscow. That certainly tells the story. The World Cup is attracting a lot of visitors, especially from a country whose team didn't even qualify for the tournament. That's right, the United States. Americans are the biggest group of foreign ticket buyers, purchasing more than 88,000 tickets.

FIFA says people in the host country, Russia, though, have bought the most tickets overall. The fans from Brazil, Colombia and Germany are also topping the sales charts. The top 10 has another country with no team in the running, that would be China. Tickets for the World Cup went on sale last September and the sales will continue until the tournament ends on July 15th.

Now to the United States president and the salute seen around the world. Donald Trump saluting a North Korean general. The White House calls it a simple gesture and pretty innocent. But Mr. Trump is taking heat for it. As our Jeanne Moos reports, it seems to depend on where and when he did it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump seems to love to salute. He gave Canadian Mounties two of them the other day. But when North Korean state TV excitedly showed the president returning a North Korean general salute, some considered it a salute --

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MOOS (voice-over): -- oops.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It actually kind of took my breath away and we are now at the point where we're saluting a totalitarian dictator.

MOOS: Though the White House called it...

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Common courtesy.

MOOS: Some on the Right thought it was discourteous when President Obama saluted a Marine while holding a coffee cup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flag doesn't bow and neither do we.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's just more educated about their culture and more global.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not like that.

MOOS: Too low?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too low.

MOOS (voice-over): Donald Trump called Obama the amateur for bowing.

STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS HOST: If you want to look strong, you do not bow to a foreign leader. You kiss him on the cheek and hold his hand.

MOOS (voice-over): Or how about holding onto a Marine's hat when it blows off?

President Trump put it back on the Marine's head, only to have it lift off again.

But amid criticism that Kim Jong-un is playing the president like a violin, saluting a general from a hostile military inspired some hostile tweets.

Noting the apparent contradiction, Ellen DeGeneres's executive producer tweeted, "Do not kneel during the anthem. Do salute a North Korean general."

And after Kellyanne Conway, slipped the other day...

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: And the commander of cheese -- chief...

MOOS: -- someone mockingly noted, "Trump is only commander of cheese. That guy is a general."

Protocol can be a double-edged sword. You want to be nice but not subservient.

Does that mean it's OK to bow to a Japanese robot when it bows at you?

ASIMO, HUMANOID ROBOT: It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. President.

MOOS: At least he didn't salute -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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HOWELL: Thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell. "Destination Hanoi" is next but, first, your world headlines after the break.